Warning
This page is not intended to replace the official Turtle WoW website, forum, discord, or wiki. The information here may not be current and you should always check the source links for updates.
Turtle WoW does not officially support any HD or client mods so you will not be able to receive "official" support for issues caused by using these mods.
They have a forum and discord channel dedicated to mods where you can get help from other users.
- Turtle WoW - Vanilla Client Install & Setup Guide
- ➡️➡️ STEP 1 - START HERE!!!! ⬅️⬅️
- Other Tweaks / Fixes
- ⭐Turtle WoW HD Graphics, Textures, and Mods⭐
- Other Mods
- 🆘🆘 Troubleshooting / FAQ 🆘🆘
- 🔎 How to get Support 🔍
- I am using the launcher and it's not working
- I'm using MPQ mods and my game randomly crashes
- The Video Settings Don't Show My Resolution or Max Resolution is 1600x1200
- I get an Application Error or Critical Error When Trying to Use SuperWoW
- Virus Warnings
- VanillaFixes Common Issues
- Other things to Check or Try:
- Where can I find the Error Logs
- My PC is Garbage/I need max performance config
- 🛑 Unsupported / Out of Date Client Mods 🛑
- Addons I Use
- My config files
-
Download the game:
-
Unzip somewhere easy to find such as
C:\twmoa_1172\twmoa_1172
orC:\TurtleWoW
orE:\Games
-
Download and install Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables - x86 and x64
- Yes, BOTH!! It doesn't matter that you're running 64 bit Windows. Download BOTH!!
- From Microsoft - vc_redist.x86 and vc_redist.x64 Or...
- ✅Recommended - "All-In-One" VisualCppRedist_AIO_x86_x64.exe which has both the x86 and x64 for all major versions.
- Yes, BOTH!! It doesn't matter that you're running 64 bit Windows. Download BOTH!!
-
Update your graphics drivers
-
⚡⚡ Reboot after installing the drivers ⚡⚡
What is the WDB folder and why do this?
It's a local cache folder that saves various game data. Instead of contacting the server the game will default to this cached data. This data will often times get out of sync with the server and that's when you'll start seeing weird bugs, crashes, and other random issues with your game. TurtleWoW recommends deleting the WDB folder frequently.
The steps below will prevent the WDB folder from ever being created so you never have to manually delete it.
- Delete the WDB folder (if it exists)
- Right Click an empty area of the main TurtleWoW folder -> New -> Text Document
- Name it "WDB" and remove .txt at the end.
- If you don't see the .txt at the end, you will need to Enable Show File Extensions in Explorer and ensure the .txt is removed from the filename.
- It should look like this when you're done
Note
This will enable widescreen FoV, increase farclip (max render distance), enable right click aut 8000 o loot, increase max camera distance, nameplate range to match TBC, allow the game to use more than 2GB of memory, enable more sound channels, and way way more!
I will list three ways to apply VanillaTweaks. Options 1 and 2 are my recommended ways of going about it. Options 2 can be used to push the vanilla client to it's limits (see screenshots above).
Option 1 - Apply Manually using Drag and Drop (EASY)
This is the default and recommended way to apply VanillaTweaks.
- Download vanilla-tweaks_v1.6.0_x86_64-pc-windows-gnu.zip
- Unzip the folder and put the files in your main TWoW folder.
- From the main TWoW folder, click on WoW.exe and drag it on top of vanilla_tweaks.exe.
- This will create a new file called WoW_tweaked.exe, which has all the tweaks applied. Nice!
- Let's make sure we have a copy of the original WoW.exe backed up somewhere before we continue... just in case you mess things up 😉
- Rename WoW.exe to WoW-OriginalBackup.exe
- Rename WoW_tweaked.exe to WoW.exe - This part is important!!!
Option 2 - Apply Custom Settings using Command Line (HARD)
If you don't know what you're doing this can really break your game! Make sure you read the help printout and documentation when messing with these settings.
Option 2 is for advanced use cases when you want to set a custom value for one or more tweaks.
- The default game Field of View (FoV) value in radians is 1.5708. Vanilla Tweaks sets it to 1.925 (Widescren FoV).
- You want to go even wider and apply the maximum FoV possible: 3.14.
- The max camera distance LIMIT is 50. Vanilla Tweaks does not change this value by default.
- You want to increase it to 100.
- Download vanilla-tweaks_v1.6.0_x86_64-pc-windows-gnu.zip
- Unzip the folder and put the files in your main TWoW folder.
- Make a copy of WoW.exe in case you mess things up!
- Press and hold Ctrl + Shift and right click an empty spot in the TWoW folder.
- Select "Open PowerShell window here"
- Type out your command and press enter. Example below using the previous use case:
.\vanilla-tweaks.exe --fov 3.14 --maxcameradistance 100 WoW.exe
- For this example the max camera distance tweak requires one last command that has to be typed in game. So after patching WoW.exe, you'll need to start the game and open the chat box and type this command in order to fully apply the max camera distance change:2
/console CameraDistanceMax 100
What are the commands?
- Type .\vanilla-tweaks.exe --help
- Look at the VanillaTweaks README
- Look at the source code of /src/main.rs for more documentation.
Option 3 - Apply Using The Launcher (EASY)
Option 3 is the newest way which can be done using the official TWoW Launcher. Be aware, the launcher is brand new and in rapid development. I would suggest using option 1 or 2 until the launcher is in a more stable state.
The new launcher has most, but not all, of the important Tweaks built in. After you configure these settings you can close the launcher. Do not start the game from the launcher if you plan to use any of the other tweaks below.
Note
SuperWoW enables a lot of advanced lua features that are not available in the vanilla client. Lots of addons utilize or are greatly enhanced by it. It also doubles the macro character limit - up to 511 characters. And much more!
SuperWoW Install Guide
-
Download the latest release zip file.
-
Put SuperWoWhook.dll and the other files into your main TWoW folder.
-
Download the optional compatibility addon, SuperAPI, which will add a minimap icon allowing you to change SuperWoW settings.
- Unzip and put the SuperAPI folder in your Interface\Addons folder: twmoa_1172\Interface\AddOns\SuperAPI
- Be sure to remove the "-master" from the folder name
-
SuperAPI_Castlib (Optional) - Adds castbars to nameplates. If you have latest version of PfUI you won't need this addon.
- Download SuperAPI_Castlib
- Unzip and put the SuperAPI_Castlib folder in your Interface\Addons folder: twmoa_1172\Interface\AddOns\SuperAPI_Castlib
- Be sure to remove the "-master" from the folder name
😱❌ Game crashing when trying to use SuperWoW? ❌
SuperWoW SuperAPI SuperAPI_Castlib pepopo978's SuperWoW Installation Guide List of Addons that Use SuperWoW
Note
There is a design flaw in this version of the client (Vanilla WoW) - A player is not allowed to cast a second spell until after the client receives word of the completion of the previous spell. Nampower works around that design flaw by altering the client behavior to not wait for the server to acknowledge anything.
Additionally adds: spell queuing, automatic retry on error, quickcasting, queued spell icon display, buffer to avoid server rejections from casting too quickly, prevent right-clicking from changing your current target when in combat, high_resolution_clock instead of GetTickCount for faster timing on when to start casts, fixes broken cast animations when casting spells back to back, AND MORE!!
Nampower Install Guide
We will utilize Pepo's version of nampower which has even more client fixes such as spell queuing, automatic retry on error, and quickcasting.
- Download the latest nampower.dll from the release page.
- Put nampower.dll in your main TWoW folder.
- Download the optional NampowerSettings compatibility addon. This will add a minimap icon allowing you to change various nampower settings.
- Unzip and put the NampowerSettings folder in your Interface\Addons folder: twmoa_1172\Interface\AddOns\NampowerSettings
- Be sure to remove the "-master" from the folder name. The folder path should look similar to the image below:
Without UnitXP SP3 | With UnitXP SP3 |
---|---|
Note
Features: Adjust camera, Background notifications, Check line of sight in Lua, Debug interface for in-game Lua, Measure distance in Lua, Various network, TCP, ACK tweaks, Proper nameplates, Screenshot in JPEG file, Better Tab targeting function, And more!
UnitXP Service Pack 3 Install Guide
Without UnitXP SP3 | With UnitXP SP3 |
---|---|
- Download the latest UnitXP-SP3-bare.zip from the releases page.
- Unzip and put the UnitXP_SP3.dll in your main TWoW folder.
- Copy the UnitXP_SP3_Addon folder to your Interface\Addons folder: twmoa_1172\Interface\AddOns\UnitXP_SP3_Addon
- Be sure to remove the "-master" from the folder name. The folder path should look similar to the image below:
if you set up everything correctly you will see this configuration icon:
https://github.com/allfoxwy/UnitXP_SP3
https://github.com/allfoxwy/UnitXP_SP3_Addon
Note
One of the most popular client fixes! Reduces issues with game stuttering and animation lag, enables Vulkan graphics instead of the default and old DirectX 9. We will use VanillaFixes to launch the game and it will load all the previous DLL mods if you've been following from the start.
This will be our real game "launcher"
- Download the latest VanillaFixes zip from the releases page.
- Unzip and put all the files in your main TWoW folder.
🛑 VanillaFixes-DXVK requires a Vulkan 1.3 capable dedicated graphics card!! 🛑
- Nvidia RTX 2060 or higher. Minimum required driver version 550.54.14. Nvidia Drivers
- AMD Radeon RX 5000 or higher. Minimum Adrenalin driver verion 22.1.2. AMD Radeon Drivers
- Download the latest VanillaFixes-DXVK zip from the releases page.
- Unzip and put all the files in your main TWoW folder.
- Download the latest dxvk-gplasync-2.x.x.zip file from the releases page.
- Unzip and open the folder all the way into the x32 folder -> Copy d3d9.dll from the x32 folder to the main TWoW folder.
- If you copied all the files from steps 1-2, then you'll see a popup asking if you want to replace the d3d9.dll file.
- Click "✔️ Replace the files in the destination"
Open dlls.txt from the TWoW folder using notepad and edit it like below:
twdiscord.dll
nampower.dll
SuperWoWhook.dll
UnitXP_SP3.dll
Open dxvk.conf from the TWoW folder using notepad and edit it like below:
# DXVK configuration for World of Warcraft
# Set Asynchronus computations via DXVK to address
# potential microstuttering and other graphical issues
dxvk.enableAsync = True
dxvk.gplAsyncCache = True
# Uncomment to set framerate limit
d3d9.maxFrameRate = 244
# Uncomment to force borderless fullscreen
d3d9.enableDialogMode = True
# Enable GPL if supported to reduce stuttering (NVIDIA 473.33+, AMD 24.6.1+)
dxvk.enableGraphicsPipelineLibrary = Auto
# Track pipeline lifetimes to reduce memory usage
dxvk.trackPipelineLifetime = True
# Limit compiler threads to reduce memory usage
dxvk.numCompilerThreads = 4
# Disabled because VanillaFixes sets process DPI awareness
d3d9.dpiAware = False
# If you want to show detailed GPU graphs and data in-game uncomment the line below.
# dxvk.hud = fps,frametimes,gpuload,memory,scale=0.75,opacity=0.5
# If you just want a basic FPS counter uncomment this next line.
# dxvk.hud = fps,scale=0.75,opacity=0.5
You are now ready to start the optimized vanilla wow client - Run Vanillafixes.exe to start the game.
If you did everything correctly you should see a popup similar to this:
Note
🛑 DXVK was designed and made for running 3D (Windows) applications on Linux using Wine. 🛑 While using DXVK on Windows may generally work and may improve your performance, it may also do the opposite!!!
https://github.com/hannesmann/vanillafixes
Note
This is a DLL hook based fix for WoW 1.12 client misbehaving when you have multiple monitors connected with differing supported resolutions.
Vanilla Multi Monitor Fix Install Guide
- Download the latest VanillaMultiMonitorFix release.zip from the releases page.
- Unzip and put VanillaMultiMonitorFix.dll in your main TWoW folder.
- Edit dlls.txt from your main TWoW folder and and remove the # comment from line 6 or where it says:
VanillaMultiMonitorFix.dll
- Set
VMMFix_preferred_monitor.txt
's contents to your desired WoW monitor's index, as shown by runningShowAllDisplayDevices.exe
. - Launch the game using VanillaFixes as it load the dll that you uncommented
Increase Addon Script Memory Guide
Note
All mpq patches must be placed in the TurtleWoW\Data
folder. You can multiple graphic mpq patches at the same time. If two mods have the same Patch-X name you will have to rename one of them to another letter not in use.
Enable MPQ Mods using the Launcher
The launcher supports loading extra mpq's from the Data folder. Maybe you don't need VanillaTweaks, SuperWoW, or VanillaFixes and just want to try the HD graphics? I don't recommend using the launcher but here's how to do it.
Note
Patch-A replaces playable races with their Legion HD models or other downported models from newer expansions.
Option 1 - Patch-A by Falarson+NeyMey with fixes from Watchers3D
Latest and greatest Turtle HD mod includes updates models for - Characters, NPC's, Creatures, Mounts, and More!
Patch-A.mpq
Size: 2.72 GB
Last Updated: Apr 29, 2025 🟢
Option 2 - Watcher's (Slim) Patch-A
Watcher's Patch-A contains only HD Character models. It's slimmed down which helps reduce the number of potential crashes. Gets updated pretty frequently so I would consider this a safe pick if you just want HD character models.
Watcher's (Slim) - Patch-A
Size: ~615.1 MB
Last Updated: Apr 4, 2025 🟢
Note
Contains an extensive collection HD textures for things like grass, environments and buildings, etc.
Patch-B - NeyMey's HD Environment
Patch-B.mpq
Size: 758.1 MB
Last Updated: Apr 22, 2025 🟢
Note
Custom M2 Items and Environments, Massive Gear overhauls, WMO Buildings updated. Model, vehicles, structures updated. Custom outpost spikes, walls, gates, and so much more.
Patch-W - Appletrey's CLASSIIC HD Patch
Patch-W.mpq
Size: 890.9 MB
Last Updated: Apr 17, 2025 🟢
👀 Video Showcase 👀
Custom and improved HD models.
Note
This mod backports some assets from retail but with a bigger emphasis on overhauling ground clutter and tilesets.
https://forum.turtle-wow.org/viewtopic.php?p=111831#p111831
Pretty Night Sky
Demo Video - Flight from Undercity to Tarren Mill:
You might try renaming this to Patch-Y or another letter near the end of alphabet since other HD mods can overwrite this one.
Note
OG Wotlk models have 5 different skin colors based on the hair/fur color of your NE/Tauren Druid. This let's you pick from 5 different sets of Feral form skins.
Wotlk Druid Feral Colors
01 - White: (Download Link)
02 - Black: (Download Link)
03 - Brown/Blue: (Download Link)
04 - Lightbrown/Purple: (Download Link)
05 - Grey/Blonde: (Download Link)
Note
This is by far the best looking water texture replacement I've seen in Vanilla.
Preview - Default Water vs Epoch Water Slider Comparison
Epoch Water
You probably want to rename this to Patch-X or Patch-Y as other HD mods can overwrite it such as Appletrey's CLASSIIC HD Patch.
Note
Pushes back fog significantly to increase view distance.
Fog Pushback
- 📌 Optional + Recommended - Apply VanillaTweaks first which increases the max farclip distance LIMIT to 10,000
- Put mpq in the Data folder -> Start game
- Open Chat and type:
/console farclip 1000
- 777 is the default maximum
- I have tested even higher numbers (currently using 1797), but the higher you go the more likely you will encounter crashes!
A few other mods also use Patch-Y for their name so you may need to rename this mpq to another unused letter
I tested this only briefly for 1.17.2 to make sure it wouldnt instantly crash me and it didn't. I didn't test enough to say how well it works but I am leaving the download here for now.
- Darker Nights mod loses the dark effect when it rains. The ambient brightness is only set for default weather.
- Download
Note
Changes herbs color to a bright pink/purple color for easier finding.
Note
Patch for Turtle WoW that can allows you to setup multiple accounts with auto-login, auto-select character, and custom account labels.
🔑 Option 1 - Requires SuperWoW
This version is newer and has more features than the original. It does requires a recent enough version of SuperWow, currently >=1.4.
🗝️ Option 2 - Basic OG Version
- Download the OG version
- Place MPQ file inside your
TurtleWoW\Data
folder.
Post all the relevant info to the discord support channel (link at the top of this guide):
- Laptop or Desktop - Custom/Prebuild? Model?
- Graphics Card - Dedicated AMD/Nvidia, Internal/CPU, Combination? Model/Driver.
- Operating System - Windows, MacOS, Virtual Machine, or some hipster nix distro?
- Screenshots or video of the issue
- Your settings - In-Game, Addons, or Config Files?
- Error Logs
- What changes/tweaks/mods/etc have you added/modified/removed?
- How you start the game - Launcher, WoW.exe, VanillaFixes, other?
- When does the issue occur?
- What things you've tried so far to fix the issue...
Explaining your issue with as much detail as possible will ensure you get proper support.
Simple Fix for Launcher Issues
My simple fix: Don't use it until it's more stable
The Turtle WoW launcher is brand new and constantly being updated. Lots of issues have been reported by users trying to use it in it's most basic default state. My recommendation, at this time, is to bypass the launcher entirely. Stick to what we know works and has been working and we will re-visit using the launcher when it stabilizes Soon™.
Remember:
- You should NOT be trying to start the game from the launcher if you want to use any of the tweaks above. Yes, you can configure some tweaks through it, but you're supposed to close it once configured and run WoW.exe or VanillaFixes.exe manually to actually start the game.
- You don't need the launcher to get TurtleWoW updates. They can push updates to you while the game is running.
- It's not required to play the game.
- There's no need to add yet another thing to the mix along with the 20+ other tweaks and mods you probably installed without testing.
This application has encountered a critical error Exception: 0xC0000005 (ACCESS_VIOLATION) The memory could not be "read" or "written"
Crashes Caused by MPQ Mods - Easy and quick fix!!
Just kidding! There is no easy or quick fix for these. 💀
This is a common and known issue when using various HD graphics/texture mods especially if you use got a bunch different ones. A lot of crashes happen near flight masters or in busy areas with tons of players like the Stormwind Trade district, etc.
Basically, these are REALLY HARD to troubleshoot. If you can replicate the crash it will be very useful for narrowing down the root cause. Otherwise it's like finding a needle in a haystack.
Causes:
- Some graphic, texture, or other asset could have been incorrectly backported to the vanilla client.
- The DBC (DataBaseClient) files within the MPQ's contain tens, maybe even hundreds, of thousands of database entries about items, NPCs, environment, world, and a lot more... A bad entry here could be why the crash is happening.
- TurtleWoW could have rolled out some update and something as simple as a new hairstyle could crash your game
- The main HD Patch (Patch-A) is a repeat offender when it comes to crashes.
- This should be the first mpq you remove when trying to isolate which mpq mod is causing the crash.
Can't Change Game Resolution / Not Showing My Resolution
This can happen for various reasons such as:
- You're running the game from a laptop which has internal graphics and dedicated graphics.
- You have multiple monitors and/or different resolutions between them.
- You are missing or have outdated drivers.
- Windows Settings
- AMD/Nvidia Control Panel settings missing or misconfigured.
- You have a huge modern 21:9 monitor running at like 5120x1440. Maybe you're even using some software to split the screen into multiple virtual monitors? ☠️
This is what you should be seeing if you set everything up correctly.
- Normal and widescreen resolutions in the dropdown list
- Monitor detected and the Refresh Rating is not blank.
- Shaders enabled at the bottom
Check your DEP Settings
- Go to Control Panel > System and Security > System > Advanced system settings.
- Under Performance, click Settings, then the Data Execution Prevention tab.
Select Turn on DEP for all programs and services except those I select, and add WoW.exe to the list.
It's very important that you reboot after making this change!
How to Fix Virus Warning - SuperWoW
These are false alerts but do not ignore them You will need to add exclusions/exceptions to your AV software for the main Turtle WoW folder, otherwise these client fixes and mods wont work. Why is this happening? Well these client fixes are injected into the WoW executable at startup which can trigger AV software.
- Right Click on the Start button
- Select Settings -> Select Update & Security -> Select Windows Security
- Select Virus & threat protection -> Manage Settings
- Real-time protection: Turn it off
- Go back to Virus & threat protection -> Scroll all the way down to Exclusions -> Click Add an Exclusion
- From the dropdown, select FOLDER
- For the path select the main TWoW folder (example: C:\twmoa_1172\twmoa_1172)
- Check the Virus and Threat Protection -> Current Threats -> Protection History -> make sure there's no entries saying SuperWoW is blocked.
- Go back and re-do the SuperWoW section once this is setup.
While using DXVK on Windows may generally work it is not supported officially.
DXVK will by default prevent the Vulkan driver from entering full-screen exclusive mode, which is necessary for a number of games to work and also allows users to tab out. However, depending on your setup and graphics driver, this may come with a number of drawbacks:
- Variable refresh rate may not work.
- HDR may not work properly.
- Performance may be degraded, especially on multi-monitor systems.
- Frame latency may be higher.
In order to enable full-screen exclusive, set dxvk.allowFse = True
via a configuration file.
Third-party software that interacts with D3D11 and/or Vulkan at the API level will often interfere with DXVK and cause it to crash or not work as expected. This includes the following applications:
- Any overlay provided by game launchers (Steam, Epic Games Store, Uplay, Origin)
- The Nvidia GeForce Experience overlay
- The RivaTuner Statistics Server overlay
- Open Broadcaster Software recording
- Certain game mods (e.g. FiveM)
DO NOT replace Windows DLLs in System32
or SysWOW64
with DXVK's. This will break your Windows install.
Make sure to use the 32-bit DLLs for 32-bit games. Windows applications will never load DLLs of the wrong architecture.
https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk/wiki/Windows
Here's a list of things to check when something isn't working. May or may not be applicable to your issue.
Big List of Things to Try...
👏 Probably because you didn't follow the guide from the start and now it's not working? 👏
- Delete your WDB folder?
- Did you install both VCredist x86 and 64 or the All-in-One?
- Make sure your game isn't saved in a write-protected directory such as Program Files, Downloads, Documents etc.
- Be sure you right click WoW/VanillaFixes and select Run as Administrator
- Did you try removing ALL mpq mods (if any)?
- Did you try backing up your config.wtf and WTF folder, deleting those files, and relaunching the game to see if it will starts with default config settings? The game should generate a new config.wtf and WTF folder structure.
- Remove everything from your dlls.txt and test re-add them one by one
- Are you using VanillaFixes or the dxvk version? Try deleting the d3d9.dll file and use the non dxvk version
When all else fails - Delete the whole TWoW folder, download a fresh CLEAN copy, and start from the top. DO NOT run the launcher.
- There can be some log files in your main TWoW folder if you use nampower or other dll mods.
- There are log files in the TWoW\Logs folder
- gx.log
- GlueXML.log
- FrameXML.log
- Sound.log
- cpu.log
- twloader.log
- There are log files in the TWoW\Errors folder -> Open the txt file and scroll to the bottom. You might see some clues there but often times it's pretty cryptic.
- When your game crashes a log file is put in the Errors folder and will be named similar to
2025-01-01 22.02.09 Crash.txt
- When your game crashes a log file is put in the Errors folder and will be named similar to
config.wtf settings to try
SET DistCull "1"
SET farclip "177"
SET frillDensity "1"
SET gxMultisample "1"
SET lodDist "59"
SET anisotropic "1"
SET particleDensity "0.25"
SET shadowLevel "1"
SET SkyCloudLOD "0"
SET SkySunGlare "0"
SET SmallCull "2"
SET specular "0"
SET texLodBias "1"
SET unitDrawDist "100"
SET weatherDensity "0"
If you used this in the past you will need to remove the MPQ files!!!
https://forum.turtle-wow.org/viewtopic.php?p=115958#p115958
Addons List
- !!inspect
- !notoggle
- antispam
- AutoDecline
- Bagshui
- BetterCharacterStats
- CleveRoidMacros
- Decursive
- GryllsExpBar
- HCQuest
- HCWarn
- HealersMate
- LevelRange-Turtle
- Magnify
- MikScrollingBattleText
- MikScrollingBattleTextOptions
- NampowerSettings
- pfQuest
- pfQuest-turtle
- pfUI
- pfUI-addonskinner
- pfUI-CustomMedia
- pfUI-eliteoverlay
- pfUI-fonts
- pfUI-RainbowHealthBar
- SilentServer
- SoloRaidTargetIcons
- SuperAPI
- SuperAPI_Castlib
- TurtleChatColors
- TurtleHardcoreChatTamer
- unitscan-turtle-hc
- UnitXP_SP3_Addon
- VendorList